Nowadays, it seems like no one gets a solid eight hours of sleep. Though sleep scientists agree those in the prime of their life do not always require eight hours of sleep, eight hours is essential for the young as well as the elderly. If you do not sleep enough you run the risk of suffering low level brain damage. You read that right: insufficient sleep really does damage your brain.
How a Lack of Sleep Affects the Brain
Mathew Walker, a University of California at Berkeley professor of neuroscience and psychology is making waves for his findings on how sleep impacts human health, including the brain. The average person finds it awfully difficult to remember certain things on days following poor sleep.
Professor Walker states the forgetfulness following insufficient sleep prevents the brain from making new memories. The lack of sleep causes the brain’s memory bank to turn off. This means the failure to obtain restful sleep prevents the formation of lasting memories. The result is a feeling of amnesia in which memories cannot be made nor created.
Professor Walker is adamant insufficient sleep also boosts the chances of Alzheimer’s disease. This condition is on the rise, partially because fewer and fewer people are obtaining the restful sleep necessary for optimal brain health. It is time to start thinking of the brain as a maintenance tool of sorts with a metaphorical sewage system that ramps up at night to wash away the toxic protein known as beta amyloid. If you do not enjoy a restful sleep each night, this protein related to Alzheimer’s will gradually accumulate. The more this protein builds, the higher your risk is for developing dementia down the road.
The Brain Begins to Eat Itself Following Sleep Deprivation
Brain scientists have determined those who suffer from chronic sleep deprivation end up with a self-consuming brain. The brain really does begin to eat itself after multiple nights of insufficient sleep.
This finding stems from a study conducted by Michelle Bellesi in which mice were deprived of sleep for the purpose of analyzing their brains. A sleep-deprived mouse ends up with a brain plagued by immune cells that have gone into hyper-drive. Though such brain stimulation has some potential benefits in the short-term, it heightens the chances of dementia as time progresses.
Bellesi’s team compared the brains of mice allowed to sleep as long as desired to the brains of mice forced to remain awake for five straight days. Keeping the mice alive for five straight days replicated a human’s experience during chronic sleep loss. Bellesi narrowed his focus to glial cells that comprise the brain’s maintenance system. A certain type of cell, known as the astrocyte, eliminates useless synapses within the brain to alter its wiring. Another type of glial cell, known as a microglial cell, searches the brain to pinpoint damaged cells and debris. The conclusion Bellisi’s team reached is that astrocytes are more active in the synapses following periods of sufficient rest. However, these astrocytes were especially active in mice deprived of sleep.
Bellisi’s finding suggests the chronic loss of sleep forces astrocytes to break apart the brain’s useless debris as well as important connections. Furthermore, the research team found the brain’s microglial cells were especially active following sleep deprivation. This is an important finding as an abundance of microglial activity has been tied to an array of brain disorders. As an example, numerous types of neurodegeneration and the aforementioned Alzheimer’s disease are characterized by excessive and continued microglial activation.
Suggestions for Better Sleep
It is clear the lack of sleep compromises the mind as well as the body. If you find it difficult to sleep for eight hours each night, it is time to make some changes. Consider running a fan on low or using a noise machine at night to drown out noise pollution. Cover your bedroom windows with blackout drapes to block the morning sunlight.
It will also help to exercise every other day. Strenuous physical activity makes it that much easier to fall asleep and hit the all-important REM stage that truly rests the body and mind.
Finally, do not consume food, caffeine or any liquids in the hours prior to sleep. An active stomach really can prevent you from enjoying a restful night of fulfilling REM sleep.
